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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WARREN D. HUSE, OF LAOONIA, N. H., ASSIGNOR TO ORISON TWOMBLY, OF LAKEVILLAGE, N. H., AND THOMAS S. NOVVELL, OF BOSTON, MASS.

KNITTING- 5PE@IFI@ATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,401,dated December 1, 1885.

Application filed July 28, 1884. Serial No. 138,942. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, VARREN D. HUSE, of Laconia, in the county of Belknapand State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Knitting-Machines, of which the following, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, isa specification.

My invention relates to that class of knitting-machines known ascircular, in which latch-needles arranged to be moved endwise to formthe stitch are used; and it consists in a springsinker and mechanismconnected therewith for imparting to said sinker a positive outwardmovement as the needle begins to descend, so that the loop drawn down bythe needle will be drawn over said sinker inside of its hook, and thenrelease said sinker and permit it to be moved inward and carry with itthe loop just formed thereon by the tension of its spring.

It further consists in certain combinations of parts, which will bereadily understood by reference to the description of the drawings andto the claimsto be hereinafter given.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a central vertical section of a portion of amachine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of a portion of theradially-grooved annular plate with a number of the sinkerbperatinghooks in position therein. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of a portion ofthe cam for moving the sinkeroperating hooks. Fig. 4. is an elevation ofa portion of the inside of the upper section of the needle-cylinder,showing the vertical grooves formed therein to receive and support thesinkers. Fig.5isa section of the same on line mm on Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is aplan of a small portion of the lower section of the needle-cylinder.Fig. 7 is an inside elevation of the same. Fig. 8 is an elevation of thesinker detached from the machine, and Fig. 9 is a diagram illustratingthe relative positions of the sinker and needle at the time the loop isbeing formed over the sinker.

A is the base-ring or bed of the machine, having firmly secured theretothe needle-cylinder B B, and having mounted thereon the needle-operatingcam-cylinder D, all arranged and operating substantially as described inanother application of mine filed July 21, 1884, and numbered 138,349.

C is the needle, fitted to move vertically in grooves 12 in theperiphery of the cylinder B B, and has imparted to it a verticalreciprocation by the cam-cylinder D, substantially as described in saidprior application.

The needle-cylinder is made in two parts,

B and B, secured together by the screws a, shown in Fig. l.

E is the sinker, made from springwire bent to the form shown in Fig. 8,to form the shank 0, lug c, hook c", and the downwardly-projectingfinger 0 as shown. The upper end of the lowersection, B,of theneedle-cylinder has formed therein a series of radial grooves, d, 6 5 asshown in Figs. 6 and 7, said grooves being designed to receive the lugsc of the sinkers E, which lugs engage with the lower side of theinwardly-projecting rib Z) on the upper section, B, of theneedle-cylinder, and thus effectually prevent the sinkers from beingmoved upward. The inner edge of the rib b of the section B of theneedle-cylinder has formed therein a series of vertical grooves, e, asshown in Figs. 4 and 5, to receive the straight portions of the shanks cof the sinkers E and hold them in an upright position. The sinkers areheld in place in said grooves by the ring F, which screws into a femalethread formed in the lower section, B, of the needle-cylinder, a portionof the outer surface of the ring F being left smooth or without thread,as at f, Fig. 1, which fits closely to the inner surface of the rib b,as shown. The upper portion of the ring F is curved outward and has itsedge rounded, as shown. which rounded edge bears upon the curvedportions of all of the sinker-shanks c in such a manner that byadjusting the ring F up or down the sinkers E may be so adjustedsimultaneously that all their hooks 0 will be at a greater or lessdistance inside circle of the needles when in their normal positions,the rounded edge of said ring acting upon the curved incline portions ofsaid sinkers to press 5 them outward, and serving also as the stop tolimit the inward movements of the several sinkers caused by the springof their shanks front of the hook c are fitted to rest in radialgroovesg g, formedin the upper end of the upper section, B, of theneedle cylinder, and are guided thereby in their inward and outwardmovements.

A series of rods or bars, h h, each provided with the lug h and hook hare fitted to and move endwise in radial grooves formed in the upperside of the annular plate G, said endwise movement being impartedthereto-by the cam-ring H, having formed in its under side the path 1',provided with the throw t, as shown in Fig. 3, which path engages withthe lugs h on the hook-bars h, as shown in Fig. 1.

The normal position of the sinker is as shown in Fig. l, and thecam-ring H is so arranged relative to the needle-operating camcylinder Dthat the sinker E, the finger c of which engages with the hook h of thebar h, is moved by the throw 4." of the path i to the extreme of itsoutward movement, as

' shown in Fig. 9, just before the needle immediately in advance thereofhas been drawn down to its lowest position, so that the yarn drawn downby said needle will be drawn in the form of a loop over said sinker infront or inside of the hook a". The hook-bars h are immediately movedinward again by the reverse portion of the throw 2" of the path 2' inthe cam-ring H, but said inward movement of the hook-bars does not ofnecessity cause a corresponding inward movement of the sinkers by virtueof the fact that the hooks h" are open at their outer ends and simplymove away from the fingers c of the sinkers, each of which when releasedby the hooks h moves inward only to the extent allowed by the tension ofthe yarn thereon, and when the tension of the spring in the shank of thesinker overcomes the tension on the yarn as the needle rises, when thesinker will automatically assume the position shown in Fig. 1. Thesinker may be turned upward at the point where the hook-bars h connecttherewith, so that said hooks will tend to hold the sinkers down.

I am aware of the inventions shown and described in Letters Patent No.183,169, granted October 10, 187 6; the English Patent No. 2,201 of1883, and the German Patent No. 23,211, and do not claim anythingtherein shown or described; but

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

1. A spring-sinker for knitting-machines, made of wire, and having theparts 0, c, 0

and 0 arranged relative to each other, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. The spring-sinker E, in combination with the needle-cylinder, aseries of needles, a cam-cy1inder provided with a cam-path for operatingthe needles, the hook-bars h, and the cam-ring H, provided with acam-path for operating the hook-bars, all arranged and adapted tooperate substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. The combination of the needle-cylinder, made in two parts, the seriesof spring sinkers E, and'the adjusting and holding ring F, all arrangedand adapted to operate substantially as described.

4:. The combination of the sections 13 and B, of the needle-cylinder,the former pro-,

WVARREN D. HUSE.

Witnesses:

WV. L. MELCHER, JAMES D. LINCOLN.

